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Heinrich discusses UNM professors’ methane emission sensors on campus

  Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., visited the University of New Mexico on Thursday, Feb. 24 to discuss two UNM professors’ research on sensors designed to detect methane leaks along natural gas pipelines. Research associate professor Lok-kon Tsui and distinguished professor Fernando Garzon are leading the research, which was awarded $1.5 million from the Department of Energy, according to the UNM Newsroom. The meeting largely consisted of Tsui, Garzon and Kamil Agi, a representative of SensorComm Technologies, UNM’s partner in developing the sensor technology, explaining how the sensors detect methane emissions along pipelines.   “Over the course of the past two years, we’ve made a number of improvements to the design of our sensor.  

President addresses Russian attacks on Ukraine

  On Thursday, Feb. 24, President Joe Biden spoke at a press conference regarding the Russian attacks on Ukraine. In his speech, he condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for the attacks, announced a major sanction package against Russia and said although U.S. troops will not go into Ukraine to fight, he is committed to defending nearby NATO allies. “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences,” Biden said. His remarks come after Russia’s missile attacks on many Ukrainian cities on Feb. 24 Eastern European Time. 

Arda Azkara captivates the Mountain West

  Arda Azkara may be a new face around the Mountain West Conference, but the freshman tennis player from Turkey has been gunning to conquer the tennis world ever since he was a kid. Now playing for the University of New Mexico, Azkara seized the conference’s attention when he swept the Mountain West Player and Freshman of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 10-16. When asked about that week, the first thing he talked about was his team’s success. “(It was) a tough week,” Azkara said. “Two big matches against Santa Clara and GCU … We were 0-2 on the season but we had those two good wins and now (on Thursday) we’re at 2-2.”

Street medic advocates for ABQ’s marginalized communities

  Albuquerque resident Ciel Melody works tirelessly to advocate for marginalized communities in the city and is building up a new local street medic coalition where they’ll train other community members in street medicine. Originally from North Carolina, Melody first became interested in activism in 2015, around when they were hospitalized for a chronic illness and also came out as transgender. “Ever since I came out, really … I’ve been interested in trying to make a difference in my community … I’ve been sick and tired of sitting around my whole life and watching things happen and saying I’m gonna do something. I want to actually do something,” Melody said.

Comics February 21, 2022

Local tattoo artists navigate effects of COVID-19

  While the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up factors of cleanliness around the nation, many tattoo shops in Albuquerque were already adhering to these standards. Now, however, artists are navigating woes in their own safety factors, increased supply chain prices and a changed social atmosphere in their shops. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, artists had to be extremely careful regarding sterilization, according to All Is One Tattoo artist Bianca Sanchez, so the increased sanitation wasn’t anything new to her. “It's not too different, just because everything's already pretty clean … We have to sanitize (tools) out of sight and everything like that so, really, the only difference is masks,” Sanchez said.

UNM Art Museum opens ornate exhibition ‘Mysterious Inner Worlds’

 In her first solo exhibition in New Mexico, Anila Quayyum Agha started showing “Mysterious Inner Worlds” on Friday, Feb, 18 at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. With a unique combination of Islamic architecture and personal concepts about sacred spaces’ patterns, the exhibit has four sculptures that are all activated by light. The installation is comprised of works of paper, beads, metal and light, with Agha’s designs being guided by traditional Pakistani artistry and made to convey feelings associated with her experiences with religion, gender, culture and danger, according to the UNMAM gallery guide.   Many of the pieces use the sewing techniques taught by her mother as well as beads and papers sourced from Pakistan, according to the UNMAM gallery guide. 

REVIEW: ‘The Worst Person in the World’ revives the rom-com

  Writer and director Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” finally received a wide-release in the United States on Feb. 4 after dazzling movie fans and critics alike at its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. After having the chance to watch the film for myself, it’s no surprise why Trier’s slick, stylish and subversive film has won over the hearts and minds of so many viewers. The opening montage thrusts the audience into the chaos and confusion that is confronting our main character, Julie, and many other 20-somethings all around the world. Initially, Julie is studying to become a surgeon. 

LETTER: Climate change must be addressed

  Climate change is one of the most pressing issues that the world faces today. Since the industrial revolution, the levels of carbon dioxide have been increasing at an alarming rate. Those high levels of CO2 have been affecting the global climate and as such, the temperature has been steadily rising. Most of the world's hottest years have occurred in the last 10 to 15 years. Many facts show that climate change is a real problem that should be addressed. As a result of the ever-changing climate, the world is slowly losing its ice sheets. The ice sheets in Greenland lost about 197 gigatons of ice in 2019. From 1979 to 2006, (there) had been a decline in the mass of those ice sheets.

UNM programs support first-gen students

  With nearly half of all students enrolled at the University of New Mexico being first-generation college students, the University has a variety of support systems to guide these students toward success. First-gen student Danilo Franco, a junior majoring in computer engineering, accredited some of his success at UNM to the support he’s received from the University’s resources. “My freshman year I had way too many hurdles to get over, and the concern was how I would fill in the gap between what I was able to pay and what I got through scholarships,” Franco said. “I definitely utilize the resources on campus often.”  UNM’s College Enrichment Program provides resources specific to first-generation students through guidance from four advisors. 

NM senator calls for release of Air Force chimps

  Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., is fighting for animal rights with his co-sponsorship of the Chimp Sanctuary Act, a bill that would prohibit Air Force bases in the United States from housing chimpanzees that are no longer needed for government research. The bill was introduced on Feb. 9 by primary sponsors John Kennedy, R-La., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and co-sponsors Heinrich and Bill Cassidy, R-La. The bill would restrict the housing of chimpanzees at any Air Force base in the United States, including the 34 chimpanzees currently housed at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico, according to a Feb. 9 press release from Animal Protection New Mexico, a nonprofit organization devoted to preventing animal cruelty, abuse and neglect.

African American Student Services hosts final 2022 Black History Month events

  The University of New Mexico’s African American Student Services center has been hosting events throughout Black History Month and is wrapping up this week with “Our Black is Beautiful” on Thursday, Feb. 24 and “Black Grad Mixer” on Friday, Feb. 25. “Our Black is Beautiful” will be a discussion held at AASS led by UNM associate professor of law Sonia Gipson Rankin. She said the event will largely focus on the term “ubuntu,” which has African linguistic roots based on the premise that “I am because we are” and the connection “from person to person.”

Governor lifts state's indoor mask mandate

  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the statewide indoor mask mandate would be lifted on Thursday, Feb. 17, effective immediately. During the press briefing at the New Mexico state Capitol where it was announced, Lujan Grisham explained that this decision was due to a projection of lower hospitalization rates despite continued high case counts. There has already been a 37% decrease in hospitalizations, which has freed up hospital resources, according to a Feb. 17 press release from the office of the Governor.

UNM to begin grad union contract negotiations after PELRB petition approval

  Contract negotiations between the United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico and the University are in sight as the two jointly filed a petition, which specifies bargaining unit modifications, with the New Mexico Public Employee Labor Relations Board on Monday, Feb. 14. The petition, which clarifies that only graduate students with assistantships are in the bargaining unit, is likely to be approved, after which contract negotiations will begin immediately. If PELRB accepts the petition, UNM will drop their appeal dating back to November on the board’s decision that gave grad workers the right to unionize, according to UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair. 

Lobos women’s basketball stomps Boise State on Senior Night

  The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team celebrated a big win against the Boise State Broncos on Saturday, Feb. 19, defeating them 89-62. The win comes after a previous win at home against Utah State on Wednesday, Feb. 16 and puts the Lobos at 13-3 on the season.  The larger focus on the court, though, was on seniors LaTascya and Latora Duff and Shaiquel McGruder and “superseniors” Jaedyn De La Cerda and Antonia Anderson as the team celebrated their Senior Night. The game was De La Cerda and Anderson’s last game at The Pit. The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique situation for the Duff twins and McGruder, though, as they will be returning to play for UNM next season.

Men’s basketball falls to CSU 83-68

  The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team lost to the Colorado State University Rams 83-68 Thursday, Feb. 17 at The Pit. The Rams came to Albuquerque at No. 3 in the Mountain West conference and on a four-game win streak. The Lobos were hoping to get another upset after defeating the University of Wyoming on Tuesday, Feb. 15 but failed.  Colorado State features star forward David Roddy, who had averaged 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season. The Lobos lost their first matchup to the Rams, 80-74, back in January.

Women’s basketball clobbers Utah State 93-73

  The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team resoundingly defeated Utah State University 93-73 Wednesday, Feb. 16 at The Pit. The win makes the Lobos 12-3 in conference play, still trailing the No. 1 University of Nevada, Las Vegas but far ahead of the 9-4 University of Nevada, Reno. Utah State has struggled this season and was only 3-11 going into Wednesday’s game. UNM beat the Aggies 98-83 in Utah in January, and the Lobos scored more than 90 points the previous two times they played Utah State before this season.  Both teams got off to a fast start offensively. The Aggies looked to post up against UNM’s Shaiquel McGruder and got a good mix of driving layups, outside jumpers and post scoring.  

UNM theater program showcases original plays at sold-out Linnell Festival

  The University of New Mexico theater program kicked off their spring performance lineup with this semester’s Linnell Festival of New Plays in which three original plays, created by students in the Masters of Fine Arts dramatic writing program, were performed by undergraduate students at the X – Experimental Theatre from Feb. 9-13. Every single performance at the festival sold out even with expanded capacity being secured for both nights of “The Eccentrics.” “When you work on a play with the same group of people for a length of time, it’s easy to focus on everything that needs to be improved, and so by the time you get it in front of an audience and they’re seeing it with fresh eyes, you kind of rediscover it with them,” Amy Yourd, writer of “Remain in Light” said.

UNM senior works in D.C. for congressional internship

  Matthew Zank, a senior studying political science at the University of New Mexico, is spending this semester — his final one — in Washington, D.C. thanks to the Fred Harris Congressional Internship program. Zank is interning with Melanie Stansbury, the current U.S. representative of New Mexico's 1st Congressional District.  Zank has been interested in politics his entire life and has tried to maximize his engagement in the political sphere of students throughout his time at UNM, serving for two years as a senator for the Associated Students of UNM. “I was an ASUNM senator from fall 2019 to spring 2020,” Zank said. “Student government gave me a precursor to government and working with legislation.”

5 and Why: 5 ideas for local dates for new couples

  The weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day can be particularly nerve-wracking, especially for those in new relationships, but Albuquerque has plenty to offer in terms of activities for the dating scene. University of New Mexico sophomores Geronimo Romero Campbell and Cooper Lennon offered five ideas for simple but meaningful dates around Albuquerque for new couples. Go to the movies A classic date is a trip to the movies, according to Romero Campbell. He said the experience is simple and exciting, and there’s not much room for error.  “There’s just not much that can go wrong … Everything is pretty much all set for you,” Romero Campbell said. “See what kind of person they are with the movies.”